The winner: Coreopsis , 100/100. Tied for second at 95: Catmint, Russian Sage .
Every flower here is scored by the same 4 published rules, using one open table of 85 flowers. No taste, no sponsors: tap any score and it unfolds into the lines that made it.
The picks
The flowers that won The top score, plus the qualifier that asks least of you.
100 100 WINNER WINNER YFG INDEX Rutgers deer-resistance rating: A · Set-and-forget upkeep: low · Bloom window: 6 months
Flaws, not dealbreakers:
no vase data in the postharvest literature
Deer: rarely damaged (Rutgers A) Cat safe (listed non-toxic)
100 / 100 tap for the breakdown Rutgers deer-resistance rating 40 / 40 A
Set-and-forget upkeep 20 / 20 low
Bloom window 20 / 20 6 months
Cold-zone reach 20 / 20 3 to 9
95 95 LOW-EFFORT PICK LOW-EFFORT PICK YFG INDEX Rutgers deer-resistance rating: A · Set-and-forget upkeep: low · Bloom window: 5 months
Flaws, not dealbreakers:
no vase data in the postharvest literature
Deer: rarely damaged (Rutgers A)
95 / 100 tap for the breakdown Rutgers deer-resistance rating 40 / 40 A
Set-and-forget upkeep 20 / 20 low
Bloom window 15 / 20 5 months
Cold-zone reach 20 / 20 3 to 9
Also great Close behind on points. Neither beats the winner overall, but each is the better answer in a garden the winner would not suit.
95 95 ALSO GREAT ALSO GREAT YFG INDEX Rutgers deer-resistance rating: A · Set-and-forget upkeep: low · Bloom window: 5 months
Flaws, not dealbreakers:
no vase data in the postharvest literature
Deer: rarely damaged (Rutgers A)
95 / 100 tap for the breakdown Rutgers deer-resistance rating 40 / 40 A
Set-and-forget upkeep 20 / 20 low
Bloom window 15 / 20 5 months
Cold-zone reach 20 / 20 4 to 9
90 90 ALSO GREAT ALSO GREAT YFG INDEX Rutgers deer-resistance rating: A · Set-and-forget upkeep: low · Bloom window: 3 months
Flaws, not dealbreakers:
no vase data in the postharvest literature
Deer: rarely damaged (Rutgers A) Cat safe (listed non-toxic)
90 / 100 tap for the breakdown Rutgers deer-resistance rating 40 / 40 A
Set-and-forget upkeep 20 / 20 low
Bloom window 10 / 20 3 months
Cold-zone reach 20 / 20 3 to 8
The protocol
How the score is built 4 rules, 100 points, no opinions. Every line reads one field of the table.
Rutgers deer-resistance rating 40 points rarely damaged (Rutgers A) 40; seldom damaged (B) 28; occasionally damaged (C) 14; frequently damaged (D) 4 Read from: the Rutgers deer rating.
Set-and-forget upkeep 20 points low maintenance, plant-and-forget 20; medium upkeep 10; high-maintenance despite being deer-proof 0 Read from: how much upkeep extension guides report.
Bloom window 20 points blooms 4+ months a year 20; 3 months 15; 2 months 10; a single month 5 Read from: the months it is in bloom.
Cold-zone reach 20 points hardy to zone 4 or colder 20; zone 5 15; zone 6 10; warmer than zone 6 5 Read from: the zones it survives.
Not ranked here: not rated by the Rutgers deer-resistance list. Scores are never sponsored
and never sold. The full method ↗
The leaderboard
The top ten The 10 highest of 66 that qualified. Tap any score to open the lines behind it.
1 100 / 100 tap for the breakdown Rutgers deer-resistance rating 40 / 40 A
Set-and-forget upkeep 20 / 20 low
Bloom window 20 / 20 6 months
Cold-zone reach 20 / 20 3 to 9
2 95 / 100 tap for the breakdown Rutgers deer-resistance rating 40 / 40 A
Set-and-forget upkeep 20 / 20 low
Bloom window 15 / 20 5 months
Cold-zone reach 20 / 20 3 to 9
2 95 / 100 tap for the breakdown Rutgers deer-resistance rating 40 / 40 A
Set-and-forget upkeep 20 / 20 low
Bloom window 15 / 20 5 months
Cold-zone reach 20 / 20 4 to 9
4 90 / 100 tap for the breakdown Rutgers deer-resistance rating 40 / 40 A
Set-and-forget upkeep 20 / 20 low
Bloom window 10 / 20 3 months
Cold-zone reach 20 / 20 3 to 8
4 90 / 100 tap for the breakdown Rutgers deer-resistance rating 40 / 40 A
Set-and-forget upkeep 20 / 20 low
Bloom window 10 / 20 3 months
Cold-zone reach 20 / 20 4 to 9
6 88 / 100 tap for the breakdown Rutgers deer-resistance rating 28 / 40 B
Set-and-forget upkeep 20 / 20 low
Bloom window 20 / 20 6 months
Cold-zone reach 20 / 20 2 to 10
7 86 / 100 tap for the breakdown Rutgers deer-resistance rating 40 / 40 A
Set-and-forget upkeep 20 / 20 low
Bloom window 6 / 20 2 months
Cold-zone reach 20 / 20 4 to 8
7 86 / 100 tap for the breakdown Rutgers deer-resistance rating 40 / 40 A
Set-and-forget upkeep 20 / 20 low
Bloom window 6 / 20 2 months
Cold-zone reach 20 / 20 3 to 8
7 86 / 100 tap for the breakdown Rutgers deer-resistance rating 40 / 40 A
Set-and-forget upkeep 20 / 20 low
Bloom window 6 / 20 2 months
Cold-zone reach 20 / 20 2 to 7
7 86 / 100 tap for the breakdown Rutgers deer-resistance rating 40 / 40 A
Set-and-forget upkeep 20 / 20 low
Bloom window 6 / 20 2 months
Cold-zone reach 20 / 20 3 to 9
Considered, not chosen Not qualifying is a verdict too: the table simply says this job is not theirs.
not rated by the Rutgers deer-resistance list Gardenia, Anemone, Alstroemeria and 16 more
The winner's badge Generated by the ranking above, and re-scored whenever the table changes.
Coreopsis
The badge is generated by this ranking, not awarded by hand. When the
table changes, it re-scores itself.
100 100 DEER-RESISTANT DEER-RESISTANT YFG INDEX · WINNER How we rank
We keep one table of 85 flowers,
with 25 documented facts each, drawn from university and extension sources. Every ranking is
a published formula worth 100 points; tap any score and it unfolds into the lines that made
it. A flower that does not fit a job is not scored lower: it is excluded, and the reason is
named. Nothing here is sponsored, and no score can be bought. When the table changes, every
score and stamp updates itself.
The full method ↗
